The Importance and Challenges of European Ministries of Foreign Affairs - Research Paper Example

The Importance and Challenges of European Ministries of Foreign Affairs Abstract The European continent is one of the most influential regions in the world. This can be attributed to the fact that the continent is one of the richest continents in the world and this means that the continent is in such caliber as the continent of North America. It is in this effect that the continent is viewed as a leading continent in many world issues like eradicating poverty, fighting terrorism, advocating for liberal democracy all over the world and fighting corruption in the world. Most of the countries in the continent are fully developed and are members of the G8. This brings the aspect on which the continents diplomacy is very important. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the countries in Europe are viewed as very important and this means that these ministries have an uphill task in their diplomacy towards other countries in the world. This has led to the fact that the European continent has faced many challenges and they are still increasing as the world is undergoing though various changes. There are many aspects under which the challenges are increasing and this calls for more efficient diplomacy tactics to be adopted by the entire Europe. It is important to note that Europe is viewed as a motivator for developing countries and this means that it is in a very tricky position and the continent’s foreign policy will need to address some issues that have been rising in recent years around the world. Diplomacy This is the art and practice of accomplishing negotiations and it is done by representatives of an entity, most notably states or groups. It is used mainly in reference to international diplomacy which is concerned with international relations between different countries of the world. One of the key factors of diplomacy is the intercession of professionally trained diplomats who negotiate such aspects as trade, economics, peace-making, war and culture. In regards to internationals treaties, diplomats are involved in the negotiations while the politicians of a nation will endorse the treaty. Diplomacy cannot be limited to formal sense and hence in an informal sense or a social sense, diplomacy is seen as the application of tact in order to have an advantage which is deemed advantageous to a group or to somebody. It can also be seen as a means by which different groups come to an agreeable solution to a common problem (Berringe, 2005). Diplomatic Strategy There is a notable difference between the real world diplomacy and the intellectual university debates since in a university debate, an argument is decided upon the merits that the arguments have and the negotiators can split the difference to come to a deal. In the real world diplomatic agreements, traditionally the agreements have been significantly been manipulated by hard power although liberal democratic countries have been noted to a times reach an agreement through the application of the higher principles (Cox, 1999). It is important to note that diplomacy is mainly achieved through the interaction of the parties’ strength. If one party has a more bargaining power than the other, then diplomacy cannot be achieved and in place the stronger party will dictate the terms of an agreement to the weaker party. This means that for diplomacy to work, both or all parties must have a bargaining power so that a diplomatic agreement can be reached (Dexter, 1972). In diplomacy, there is the need to be reasonable and this also ensures that other parties are supportive of the party that seems to be reasonable enough. It is important to note that when one party wins a favorable term in the agreement, then other parties that are involved may have a hostile reaction to the winning party hence the need for the party to be reasonable when negotiating an agreement. This is the concept that is known as soft power. In many situations of modern diplomacy, there are rules that have to be followed and this is monitored by international organizations the most notable being the United Nations which plays a very important role in ensuring cohesion between different diplomatic missions (Carol, 2001). Importance of European Ministries of Foreign Affairs Europe is considered one of the most developed continents in the world. It is for this reason that it has been seen as holding some of the most important responsibilities in the world to ensure that that whole world is operating in an orderly manner. This responsibility is only shared by other developed countries of the world, most notable the United States and Canada. The fact European countries are some of the richest countries in the world means that the diplomacy of the European countries is a vital aspect in the world. It is for this reason that the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Europe are viewed as very important in ensuring that the world is operating in very formidable and cohesive manner (Joseph, 2004). One of the importances of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Europe is that they play a very important role in coordinating development projects in the developing world. This is through diplomatic negotiations with the developing countries and through negotiations with various development organizations in the world. This ensures that the developing regions in the world are afforded the funds under which to facilitate development projects in the regions. Many developing countries in the world have benefited very much through such arrangements and the most notable are the African countries because these countries have had problems with developing. This means that the European ministries of foreign affairs have been very instrumental in ensuring that the developing countries are achieving significant development in regards to various aspects of development most notably infrastructure, communication and transport (Hocking, 2007). The European ministries of foreign affairs are also very instrumental in the fight against terrorism and this can be attributed to the fact that they have joined hands with other countries in the fight against terrorism. The United States being the leader in the war against terrorism has received significant help from the European countries in its endeavors to end terrorism and the most notable countries that have contributed towards this end are the Western European Countries. Terrorism has been noted to be one of the most destructive crimes in the world and it is important to eliminate this crime from the world. However, without a conceited effort and the unification of major powers in the world in the fight against terrorism, terrorism will continue to adversely and negatively affect the world. It is in this respect that the role the European countries are doing in fighting terrorism cannot pass unnoticed. Through diplomacy, the European countries have been noted to advocate other countries to adopt the anti-terrorism policies that have been noted to be very effective in fighting terrorism (Marc, 2009). The European countries have also been very influential in ensuring that democracy is promoted throughout the world. This means that the ministries of foreign affairs have played a very important role in ensuring that the ideology of democracy is promoted throughout the world and in turn ensuring that the kind of leadership that is in most countries is democratic. It has been deemed that democracy is very instrumental in ensuring that the people’s rights are protected by the government and that the rule of law is applicable in these countries. Democracy ensures that the government and political outlook of a country is stable. A stable country precipitates internal and external security and also promotes economical growth. The European countries have been very instrumental in ensuring that democracy is adapted in many countries in the world and this have been seen as an effective way of ensuring that the world is a better place to live in for everybody (Berringe, 2005). The European countries through the ministries of foreign affairs have also been playing a very important role in ensuring that the world economy is stable and that it is growing over time. The ministries of foreign affairs have been very instrumental in ensuring that the world countries adopts favorable economical policies and also economical reforms to ensure that all countries registers a positive economical development. In some cases, the foreign affairs ministries have played a major role in negotiating aid and loan agreements between the developing countries and the European countries. This means that the foreign affairs ministries play a very important role in ensuring that the countries with weak economies are boosted and this is seen as an objective of the European countries to ensure that the global economy is steadily developing. It is important to note that some of these objectives cannot be achieved if the foreign affairs ministries are not involved in diplomatic negotiation with other countries in the world. This means that diplomacy is very instrumental in all the endeavors of the European foreign affairs ministry (Rana, 2004). The European foreign affairs ministries are also very instrumental in ensuring that governments around the world adopt the right leadership styles so as to ensure that governments do not oppress the people and they do not abuse the human rights of the people. This is very instrumental because it ensures that everybody in the world has some freedoms which are very fundamental to the lives of the people. This is very important because there have been instances in some countries where the government was involved in gross abuse of human rights and this is manifested by the people suffering very much. The European countries have been very vocal in the promotion of liberalism all over the world. This can only be achieved through diplomatic negotiations with the governments of the world’s countries to do away with oppressive and dictatorial rules and this is achieved through the foreign affairs ministries of the European countries who conduct diplomatic missions in various countries around the world (Hocking, 2007). The foreign affairs ministries of the European countries have also been very instrumental in the issue of globalization. Globalization has ensured that the world acts as a global village connected through political and economical institutions which are influenced mainly through the foreign policies of the developed countries. To this effect, many countries in Europe are developed and hence are very important in the aspect of globalization. This is because many of the organizations that are deemed to be very influential in ensuring that the developed countries and developing countries act at par with each other are formed by the European countries and many of the countries are also members of the international organizations that enhance globalization (Wolfe, 1998). Challenges faced by European Ministry of Foreign Affairs The world today is experiencing a lot of changes and developments and this have ensured that the ministries of foreign affairs of European countries are faced with more challenges as the world is changing. There have been many developments both politically, economically, socially and culturally that the ministries of foreign affairs of Europe need to address (Van Reisen, 2001). In economic terms, the ministries are facing challenges in convincing the developing countries to adopt favorable economic policies. This has been meted with some opposition especially from the developing countries who have seen this move by the European countries as not being fare with the requirements of the economic policies. These policies have been noted by the developing countries as being formulated to favor the European continent in their trade agreements. The developing countries are faced with a dilemma under which economical policies and reforms to adapt in their endeavor to achieve economical stability and growth. However, there are opposing powers that are questioning the European imposed policies and this is based on the fact that many European countries tend to put conditions if some of their policies are not implemented by the developing countries and these conditions include such conditions as trade bans between the European countries and the developing countries (Vaisse, 1997). Still under economic policies, whereas the European countries are pushing for many countries to adopt the policy of free market and market liberalization, many countries view this move with suspicion thinking that the European countries are advocating for this kind of economic policies so that their companies can benefit more. This has been a major challenge for the European countries and this is mainly felt by the foreign affairs ministry. Despite the many conceited efforts by the diplomats of the European countries to further the policies of market liberalization, many countries are still unwilling to adopt these policies (Rana, 2004). Political differences among the world’s countries have posed as a challenge for the European ministries of foreign affairs. This can be attributed to the fact that many countries have different opinions regarding the leadership styles. It is important to note that many countries cannot afford to rule the people with liberal democracy although the European countries have been advocating for the adoption of liberal democracy in the world. It has been doing this with the full support of the United States of America and this have led to some quarters feeling that they being forced to adopt these changes in an effort to undermine the sovereignty of their respective countries. Many countries are opposed to this kind of leadership because they feel that other types of leadership will be more apt in the development of their countries. This has proved to one of the most controversial areas that are related to the European countries ministries of foreign affairs (Loquai, 1996). Political instability in many countries has also been a major challenge for the European ministries of foreign affairs. This can be attributed to the fact that many countries have not adopted the right leadership styles that have been advocated for by the European countries and also other developing countries. There have been feelings that the unstable political organization in the world have been brought about by the European countries in part. There have been some sentiments that the developed countries would sacrifice the stability of the developing countries to ensure that the interests of the European countries are protected. The ministries of foreign relations have been facing the challenge of convincing the world that this is not the case although this has not been very successful. A good example is the current occupation of Iraq by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) being led by the United States of America and other European countries (Riordan, 2007). The world is also experiencing a rising cost of living and this has led to many people around the world suffering. This has been a major challenge to the ministries of foreign affairs of European countries. This can be attributed to various companies in the European continent raising the prices. This has been seen as an effect of market liberalization which has led to the companies dictating the prices without any government control. The ministries have been faced with the challenge of ensuring that the third world countries do not subject their citizens to suffering and this has been very hard because the governments of third world countries do not have the power to contain the rising prices. Thus the European countries have come under pressure to introduce policies whereby the pricing of some vital commodities can be controlled by the government (Moses, 2002). Although the European countries have been fighting corruption especially in the developing countries which has been a hindrance to the development of these countries, corruption is still thriving in many countries. This has also been a major challenge for the European ministries of foreign affairs. Many countries in the developing regions have been faced with the vice of corruption which is greatly hindering the development of the countries. Of notable implication are the African countries which have had numerous cases of graft and corruption. The European countries need to achieve the objective of ensuring that the third world countries have done away with gross cases of corruption, graft and mismanagement (Rana, 2004). One of the most formidable challenges of the European countries is all issues that involve globalization. This means that continent is faced with the uphill task of coordinating all aspects of globalization and also ensuring that the negative impacts of globalization are very minimal. This means that the world is watching the continent to see how it will perform on all the issues that are accrued to globalization. Globalization has been seen as raising the levels of inequality and this applies to both countries and individuals. This means that while the poorer are developing insignificantly the rich are getting richer by the day. This also applies to countries with the developing countries have a better share of the world economy at the cost of the developing nations. This has led to a situation in which the developed countries are seen to be exploiting the developing countries. This is one of the major challenges of the European countries and it is important to note that the European countries are developed. The ministries of foreign affairs in the European continent need to address the rising cases of inequality that is brought about by globalization and this can only be achieved through cohesion of various aspects of globalization (Koulaimah-Gabriel, 1997). The war against terrorism is also a major challenge for the European ministries of foreign affairs. This can be attributed to the fact that many countries have adopted the war against terrorism although many of the developed countries are seen as to be engaged in this war to further the interests of the country. The European countries are challenged to come up with a reason why they are involved in the war and many people share the sentiment that the European countries are involved in the war to prove that they are loyal to the United States of America. This has been brought about by the fact that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization members in Europe have been noted to act at the whims of the United States, the major culprit being the United Kingdom. There have been calls for the European countries to come up with a statement under what basis the countries are involved in the war against terrorism. The war against terrorism has been seen by many people as being unfavorable to some countries most notable being the Arab countries. Another challenge is ministry of foreign affairs being questioned why they were so eager to follow the policies of the Bush Doctrine and this is one of the reasons why the European countries have been noted not to be impartial in their foreign policy (Box, 1997). Conclusion It is important to note that the foreign policy of the European countries is very important in the world forums. It has been noted that the continent is very influential in terms of coordinating international forums. With the countries found in Europe being very influential, they are faced with many challenges and these challenges can only be overcome if the ministry of foreign affairs implements policies which are important in ensuring that the challenges are fully taken care and that the impacts of various changes and developments are not negative and if they are negative the effects to be very minimal. 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